Our next stop after Tigray was Mekele, the starting point for excursions into the Danakil Depression – one of the most amazing volcanic landscapes on Earth. Unfortunately, we arrived in Mekele on a Sunday which apparently meant that most tour offices were closed and comparing and booking a tour turned out a bit more difficult than we expected. After whatsapping with some agencies and bargaining a lot, we finally decided to go with ETT – Ethio Travel and Tours – who are known for their big groups, but who just offered the best deal, including a transfer to Lalibela afterwards.
So next day, we were off to Danakil, with our first day consisting mainly of driving and stopping at some viewpoints along the way. In the late afternoon, we drove a bit across the big salt lake. On the way, we came across some camel caravans who are transporting salt 400 km further. Hard work for the men and animals!
We then passed by a little pool in the salt lake (which otherwise like Uyuni is solidified on the top so you can drive across it). Some people went in for a dip, but we weren’t keen on being completely salty for the remainder of the tour, so we just walked around a bit and took some pictures.
Our last stop for the day was to see the sunset over the salt lake which was quite pretty, even though the sun set behind some clouds eventually.
The night was spent on wobbly makeshift beds outside. It was nice to sleep under the stars, but I’ve had my fair share of nights under stars, so wouldn’t have minded if they had built a simple hostel like those on the Uyuni tour.
Next morning, bright and early, we went to see the highlight of the tour: the volcanic landscape of Dallol. At first, when we arrived, I was a bit underwhelmed to be honest. There was some pretty yellow underground, but nothing thaaat amazing. That was before I saw all of this:
W.o.w. I had high expectations towards Dallol, but they were wayyy surpassed! I didn’t know there would be these little terrace pools, and I didn’t expect new crazy views wherever you went.
Only to see Dallol, it was already worth doing this tour – even though it was expensive. After seeing this unreal landscape, there were two more stops we made. One at a bubbling lake (volcanic activity but apparently not hot), and some cool looking rocks that reminded us a bit of Ciudad de Itas in Bolivia, but on a much smaller scale. We also passed a place where locals were cutting salt blocks out of the lake, to transport them onward on the back of their camels. It’s very hard work, that – as so often – pays very little.
After that, it was back to our lunch stop from day 1 and then back to Mekele town. Even without seeing the lava lake at Erta Ale (it’s not visible anymore at the moment), touring the volcanic landscapes of Danakil Depression has been amazing and something we won’t forget too quickly.
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